Charity began at home and benefits many

The smiling faces say it all – students have gained confidence
through the ‘Oral Language Programme’ initiative
put in place by Rotary Rotorua Sunrise. 

Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise, NZ and Waiariki Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the business community are aiming to build five houses over five years to raise funds for charitable purposes locally via the Charity House project. The first year has initially proven every bit as successful as the community partners involved hoped for. Already five community groups are set to benefit from last year’s profits.

The first house, a four-bedroom 147 sqm linea weatherboard dwelling built by Waiariki carpentry and interior design students, was auctioned off last December, raising $14,716. The recipients of these proceeds were announced in May: Menz Shed; Linton Park Community Centre; Rotorua Youth Centre; Big Brother, Big Sister Rotorua; and the Western Heights Primary School ‘Oral Language Programme’. The latter programme is a new Rotary Rotorua Sunrise education and literacy initiative.

Then President Sue Gunn explains that Waiariki decided to take the lead role in the community partnership as the project would offer carpentry and interior design students a true hands-on learning experience. Waiariki chose to partner with Rotary Rotorua Sunrise to utilise the club’s existing charitable networks, administer the proceeds of the house auctions and select worthy recipients that meet funding criteria.

“It’s a great way to engage with students. Not only is it a hands-on experience that they respond well to, they have been exposed to prospective trade employers. All students on the project got employment at the end of their year-long course”, empahsises Sue.

Throughout the project, Rotorua Sunrise members have been able to build a closer and stronger relationship with students and the community while discussing many Rotary youth leadership opportunities available to them and providing mentoring support. Plus many Rotarians are partners in the project providing building products and services.

Sue also says, “It has been a real joint venture with Waiariki, local businesses and the community. It creates strong linkages and stronger foundations for Rotary. Best of all is the difference we can make to the recipients in our community.”

The 2014 Charity House build is on schedule and they are looking forward to another successful auction with proceeds being available to the local Rotorua community that has engaged Rotary and changed lives!

 

Web: www.rotoruasunrise.southpacific.org

By - Sue Gunn 

A $12,000 Weekend!

- By President Sue Gunn, Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise, NZ

Rotorua Rotarians and friends were out in force the weekend of February 22-23 for the annual Rotorua Lakeside Concert and the Rotary Global Swimarathon. The generosity of the community was evident with $12,000 being collected in one weekend!

The Lakeside Concert, held annually since 1997, has become the Rotorua community’s eagerly anticipated big night out together. On February 22 the free outdoor concert featured the best of Maori, classical and contemporary music, in a format accessible to every citizen of the region.

Rotorua Sunrisers and friends with their collection buckets at the Lakeside Concert, Village Green, Rotorua.

 

The concert appeals to just about everyone from the young to the old, from the classical buff to the swinging popsters to the romantic.

Rotorua is a breeding ground for talented singers and musicians. With its rich history of hospitality, Rotorua really knows how to turn on a party. This medium size New Zealand city punches way above its weight and loves to celebrate the diversity of its citizens.

Every year the Lakeside Charitable Trustees and Rotary Rotorua Sunrise select a worth charity for the annual ‘gold coin’ collection, and this year’s proceeds went to Te Whakaponu Trust to purchase a badly needed dialysis machine at Rotorua Public Hospital. Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise President Sue Gunn presented Philippa Wills of the Te Whakaponu Trust with a cheque for $8,140.

Then, on Rotary’s 109^th anniversary February 23, Rotorua Sunrise Rotary held the Rotary Global Swimarathon, a community event at the Rotorua Aquatic Centre from noon to 2pm.

19 swimmers participated and they swam anything from 6 to 100 lengths each, achieving a grand total of 545 lengths with each length sponsored, that raised just over $3,000 for the End Polio Now! fund.

Swimmers included Rotorua MP Todd McClay and two of his children, along with Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick, Rotorua Sunrise members and other local swimmers.

We generated great publicity in Rotorua’s Daily Post pre and post event, promoted the Rotary Global Swimarathon on our website, community radio notice boards, Facebook posts, along with uploaded photo files to individual Facebook pages, likes and comments to get it out amongst members’ friends and networks. The event was a great success!

Keeping up with technology, the Rotary Rotorua Sunrise way!

After months of planning and preparation the Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise has celebrated the launch of their new website. This new site focuses on telling stories of the members and beneficiaries of projects as a way to encourage and inspire with the Rotary story.
 

The decision to re-do the website was to ensure that Rotary Rotorua Sunrise stays relevant with changing technology and the new Rotary brand guidelines. The new website is responsive which means it automatically resizes for mobile and tablet devices. It also integrates with the Facebook page and YouTube Channel of Rotary Rotorua Sunrise, keeping communication channels open.
 

The site was sponsored and developed by one of the youngest Rotorua Sunrise members Rachel Warrender and her web design company Dubzz Digital Marketing. "It was created with the new Rotary branding in mind, and as a way to inspire both members and the general public. We saw this as a great opportunity to not only support Rotary Rotorua Sunrise, but to support the wider local and global community that is touched by the work of Rotary Rotorua Sunrise every year," explained Rachel.
 

A major component of the new website is the ability for all members to be able to contribute and update the website. Each committee is responsible for updating information about their projects and upcoming events. Special features include a segment on ‘Our Stories’, highlighting the Rotary story of some of our Rotarians and what drives them. It also has a calendar of all club events, a member list, project information, links to learn more about Rotary, and plenty of pictures of the fun that Rotary Rotorua Sunrise enjoys.
 

Training sessions are scheduled to teach the members how to make changes on the site, as a full team effort will ensure the most up to date and relevant information appears on the site. It is also a great chance for members to learn and develop their skills in the online space.
 

You can visit the new website at www.rotaryrotoruasunrise.co.nz and visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rotaryrotoruasunrise.


Editor note:  Even with separate web sites, clubs still maintain a presence within www.rotarysouthpacific.org where main club contacts are held - this supports a cohesive Rotary administration and communications system across Rotary in NZ and the Pacific.  Links are used betwee the two to prevent duplication and make best use of the strengths of both sites.

Breaking the Cycle with Oral Language Programme

Western Heights Primary School in Rotorua has seen a variety of new visitors coming and going of late – all of them repeat offenders!

Volunteer tutor Paddy Newton, with Kymaira Dawson, Year 1 student at Western Heights Primary School, Rotorua.

 

No, these visitors are not trouble-makers or even student parents. They are volunteer tutors who meet with some 40 five-year-olds who are part of the new oral language programme Te Wa Korero Ngā Tamariki (commonly referred to as “TKT”) launched this year.

TKT is the brainchild of Annette Stock, a speech language and literacy specialist. She was approached by Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise President Sue Gunn, who recognised that there were serious literacy issues in the local community. Education and literacy is a key focus area for Rotary International. Annette and Sue approached Western Heights Primary School to see if an oral language programme would help.

“Children need to develop a sound oral language system, which is a natural developmental process that takes place when a child is between naught and five,” says Annette. “That system will then support them when they move on with the more formal process of learning to read, write and spell.”

Many children in lower socio-economic areas do not develop strong oral language skills due to having a more transient lifestyle, not attending preschool, and experiencing limited interpersonal communication at home.

Western Heights Primary was targeted because this school has the second-highest transient rate in the country. Principal Brent Griffin is already thrilled with TKT, believing it is vital for his school. “It provides the foundation that allows the young children to access the school’s curriculum from day one,” he adds.

Volunteers spend about 30 minutes one-on-one with their student three times per week. Using books with large, vibrant pictures, they encourage the children to tell them what they see happening in the pictures.

“This project is not to teach students to read,” explains Annette. “It has been developed to provide support for students to be read to and talk about the book content as it relates to them.”

The books were funded by Rotary Rotorua Sunrise in Rotary District 9930, plus Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, and are authored by New Zealand writers, making them culturally and linguistically more relatable.

“Some magical things are happening,” Annette says. “These children are very loving children, so they just love the adult attention, that one-on-one interaction. They are forming relationships, gaining confidence, and really looking forward to their time with the tutors.”

The enjoyment is mutual emphasises Sue. “The volunteers are really enjoying their time with the children, reading storybooks, introducing rhyme and playing educational games that develop oral language and confidence in the children. My husband Don and I are tutors. It’s a very rewarding and worthwhile experience.” 
 

 

- By Sue Gunn, President, Rotorua Sunrise Rotary 

Money Tree

New honorary member of Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise,
Mayor Steve Chadwick, with Abigayle Martin of Kawaha Point and
President Sue Gunn in front of the Christmas Money Tree.

The Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise held its annual Christmas breakfast on December 17, 2013 at the Novotel Lakeside Rotorua. All members and guests were asked to bring along money notes to peg onto the Christmas money tree, with proceeds to the Salvation Army.

After breakfast the money was removed from the tree and counted. It totalled $345 plus a cheque for $500 was also on the tree which was proceeds from the Charity’s Shop Christmas Gingerbread House Raffle.

 

During the breakfast meeting Mayor Steve Chadwick was formally welcomed as a new honorary member of Rotary Rotorua Sunrise. She plans to be an active and engaging honorary member of the club, sharing in fellowship, providing leadership, inspiration and assistance to club projects for the purpose of making our community, our country and the world a better place to live in.

 

Mayor Steve replied “I am a morning person and would like to be involved in Rotary projects that are good for our community.” She was very impressed with the positive energy of the club and the contribution members make to the community.

 

By Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise President Sue Gunn

Charity House Goes Under the Hammer!

Rotary Rotorua Sunrise’s project the Waiariki Charity House has completed its first year after selling at auction. Rotorua accountant Steven Slack the successful bidder getting the bargain of a lifetime- the four-bedroom, two-bathroom transportable house sold for $143,000.

About 100 people turned up at Rotorua PlaceMakers for the December 1^st auction, many of them being partners in the project, students and staff of Waiariki Institute of Technology, Rotarians and even the new Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick.

Professionals McDowell Real Estate had several interested parties in the crowd, however when push came to shove, Mr Slack's only competition was a phone bidder from Kaukapakapa.

Steven and his wife now have the dilemma of trying to find a place to put the new home. “I hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but we’ve been looking at some sections,” he said.

Through the project, Rotary Rotorua Sunrise members have been able to build a relationship with young people enrolled on the pre-trade carpentry course and the community. “The project has been really positive. It has been a great way to engage with the young people and the hands on learning for them is great, plus we have been able to discuss many of the youth leadership opportunities available to them through Rotary” says Rotary Rotorua Sunrise President Sue Gunn.

Students that attended the auction were very happy to see the house sold. They had put their heart and soul into it, and had learnt so much in the year of their pre-trade carpentry course. The best news for the students is most having jobs or have been offered apprenticeships in 2014.

The project is collaboration between Waiariki, Rotary Rotorua Sunrise Charitable Trust, Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, Rotorua District Council and the business community. Many Rotarians are partners in the Charity House Project.

Sue Gunn says, “It has been a real joint venture with Waiariki, local businesses and the community. It creates strong linkages and stronger foundations for Rotary.”

Proceeds from the sale go to Rotary Rotorua Sunrise Charitable Trust for distribution in the community. This year that total will be about $5,000 once costs were taken out.

This project is a five year commitment, building one house each year. Community groups wishing to apply for funding should visit the Rotary Rotorua Sunrise website www.rotaryrotoruasunrise.co.nz.

Club Changeovers are Exciting Times

Rotary Rotorua Sunrise has had a tradition of celebrating its Change Over with a formal evening dinner and this year was the same but different. We went formal with all the glitz and glamour of the Roaring 20s and everyone got into the swing of it wearing their boas, bling, beads and bowties while sipping on bubbles and beer!

Our Change Over was held at The Monarch, Princes Gate Hotel, Rotorua on Saturday, 22 June. After the formalities, presentation of awards and dinner Rosie, Anne and Sue performed the Charleston, which was hilarious and got a standing ovation.

Here’s the link to our Facebook page, it’s been uploaded to YouTube and we would love you to click on it so we increase our hits:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Rotorua-Sunrise/140377696155347

After the Charleston our very own Sunrise Rockers performed late into the night. Everyone went home with big smiles on their faces and couldn’t wait to see the photos on Facebook.


The Welcome party – Left to Right: Evelyn Gunn, President Elect Susan Gunn and Rosanna Gunn

The Rotary Rotorua Sunrise mission this year is:

Our mission is to be an engaged, action orientated, vibrant club with passionate members that shine and have fun!

Come dance with me! Members will dance if they are engaged and having fun. We have got to have the music to dance to – that’s where fellowship is important. “Let’s feel good, doing good.”

Guests sitting down to dinner at The Monarch, Princes Gate Hotel, Rotorua

 

 

LOW DOWN

 

With the Rotary year ending on 30 June and a new year commencing on 1 July, the weeks either side are a time where all clubs hold Changeover events to celebrate the achievements of the past year, recognise the contribution of members, especially those who help leadership positions during the year, and welcome in the new team.  These are events in themselves attended by members, their partners and often the wider family and guests from the community, particularly those with a close association with the club.

 

Rotarians know how to party!  This means the themes that are adopted by clubs around the country for their Changeovers are as varied as there are clubs.